


Pastel Prince

by Ellienerd14



Series: Dear Matti [7]
Category: Class (TV 2016)
Genre: And Tanya, Cute, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Punk Matteusz, Punk pastel, Still a sweetheart though, also April and Charlie are besties, i love them, pastel Charlie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-09-03 02:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8693185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/pseuds/Ellienerd14
Summary: When Charlie's gets a chance to escape his role as Prince of Rhodia and avoid the ongoing conflict with the Quill he visits earth and he moves in with the MacLeans. On a planet of new palettes, he explores new colours and despite his love of Earths pastel colours, he falls for a  boy dressed in black with a smile that juxtaposes it. One he seemed have reserved for Charlie...Basically the punk/pastel Marlie AU that we all need.





	1. Prolouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prolouge

A sharp knock on the door brought Charlie away from his studies. 

A young servant stood at the door. She bowed in his presence. "Prince, you're Mother has requested to see you." 

"I am in trouble?" His Mother was busy, with the ongoing war with the Quill terrorists lately. It was rare for her to call on him. It was even rarer for any talks from his parents to be good. 

"No. She says this will greatly benefit you." Charlie still wasn't convinced. He tended to disagree with what his parents idea of what was best for him. Especially since he was seventeen, an age where Royals tended to marry. At least the war with the Quill meant his arranged marriage to their Queens niece had dissolved. 

Still, a good prince did not complain out of the privacy of his own head, so he followed the messenger to the royal meeting room in tense silence. 

"Charlie." His Mother smiled kindly at him. She had been talking to a man who now leaned against the newest addition to the room, a blue box that almost reached the ceiling. The man was dressed strangely in a dark suit. 

"Mother, you wanted me?" 

"Take a seat." Charlie did as she asked. Maps of the city were scattered over the desk with scribbles of her neat writing on them. "Charlie, before I start talking, you must be open minded and promise to listen." 

Charlie nodded, alright dread was curling in his stomach. It seemed like another marriage alliance was going to be suggested. 

"The war with the Quill has reached a critical point." Charlie nodded again, he had been updated on Rhodias politics. (It was his duty to know.) "Just yesterday they attacked the royal courtroom. They're getting closer to castle and I'm starting to worry about your safety." 

"You're not suggesting I move to the bunker again?" Charlie couldn't stand the small space. Initially he had stayed there but could only handle being trapped their for two days before the anxiety got too bad he had to be moved. 

"No. I understand that method of protecting you is not viable option." The queen stopped her worried pacing and took a seat next to her son. "But I made a call to an old protector of the stars." She gestured to the seemingly ordinary man leaning against the box casually. "What do you know of Earth?" 

"I know a little of their language and history." 

"I believe it would be a good idea for you to move there. For your own safety." The queen gave her son an affectionate look, one which was rare. "An entire galaxy should keep you safe from the Quills threats I believe." 

"You want to send me away?" Charlie asked. "A galaxy away to a foreign planet?" The idea seemed crazy. 

"This was hard for me to process too. You are my only child and I love you." 

Not enough. Charlie thought miserably. Not enough to share your soul with me. Not enough to treat as more than a politic chess piece. Not enough. Never enough. 

"You'll be staying with a human family that works with UNIT." The old man spoke up. "You can call me the Doctor and I'm here to help." 

"How long will I be gone?" Charlie asked. It didn't seem like he had a choice. It was best not to argue. That wouldn't be very regal of him. 

The queen looked away guilty. "As long as it takes Charlie." 

"Will I be able to talk to you?" Despite rocky relations with them, Charlie couldn't leave his parents and never hear anything back. Moving to another planet would be lonely enough anyway. 

The queen stood up to embrace her son. "We'll work something else. But it is urgent you go now, we have reason to believe the Quill wish to harm you." 

"Can I bring my stuff?" Charlie resented himself for asking the right questions. But rather go with grace then kicking and screaming. 

"You'll be able to buy what you need on earth. But bring some books, I would suggest science, humans of the 21st century are very behind." The queen kissed the top of his head softly in a form of goodbye. "I will miss you very much Charlie." 

The young prince had his head in a daze as he walked though the castle for what seemed to be the last time. The idea of moving to a whole new world was scary but it must be better than the war filled one his once civilised world was changing into. 

Charlie had never liked his room much. It was one of the biggest in the castle, in fact his Mother had extended due to his claustrophobia. But it never felt homely. Yet Charlie knew he would miss it. Within the walls he had practised speeches, learnt to draw and paint, read countless books. Leaving it all behind made his heart feel heavy. 

Tracing the bookshelf, his favourite part of the room Charlie felt himself mourning Rhodia before he had even left it. 

Charlie didn't pack science books as his Mother had suggested but picked up an old book of Rhodian fairy tales instead. It had been in the Royal family for a century and the decaying and dusty pages held more about his culture than any of his science books would. 

With arms full of heavy books and a sketch pad he couldn't bring himself to leave behind, Charlie stepped behind the Doctor into his box. It was huge on the inside with a futuristic feel. 

Many people had focused on the fact it was bigger on the inside but all Charlie could thing about was how it was taking him away from his home. 

Charlie whispered a last goodbye as the world around him vanished to the sound of a wheezing time machine.


	2. April

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie's first day on earth doesn't get off to a good start.

The first thing about Earth he noticed was the colours. Rhodia was shades of blue and lilac. Earth was so bright, every person who walked along the street dressed in shades of a whole new world. Charlie didn't even recognise all of them. The sky was bluer then Rhodias and the sun shone bright, reflecting on the water fountain. 

The Doctor rambled on about Earth while Charlie admired it. 

The Doctor stopped outside a cosy looking house. It was much smaller than the castle but Charlie wasn't going to complain. "Here's the MacLeans. Your new home." 

"I like the plants." Soft pink flowers curled around the fence. The castle had a blooming garden all year round but Charlie never had enough free time. 

"Roses." The Doctor looked suddenly sad. He made an effort to smile. "Anyway, we better head inside." 

The Doctor pressed a little button attached to the side of the house that made a shrill noise which almost made Charlie jump. 

The door was opened a minute later by a pretty looking human girl with dark coloured hair tied up, wearing a dress that matched the roses that populated her garden. She smiled at Charlie, it was a friendly smile, different to the ones his people gave him. But to her, Charlie wasn't a prince but a refugee. Maybe the change would allow him to make some actual friends. 

"Hi, I'm April MacLean. You must be Charles, right?" April offered out a hand, which Charlie only stared at. His studies had covered their politics but not their habits. Hopefully he could research them further later on. 

"I prefer Charlie. It's less regal." April dropped her hand but not her smile. April motioned for them to come with her and followed April into her house. It was simple but pretty on the outside and seemed cosier on the inside. It had a sense of being lived in that the castle never had been allowed because of all their servants. 

April led them into a shiny looking room with a lot of shiny appliances of simple technology. (Earth was pretty behind Rhodia in terms of development.) A woman, with the same light hair that Charlie now had (physically, humans were almost identical to Rhodia, minus the more muted coloured hair and slightly darker skin that humans had) was sitting behind a table with a pile of paperwork. 

"Charlie, this is my Mum." 

"Oh, this is them?" The woman asked. She had the same soft pretty face as April, as she wheeled over to where they were. "I'm Jackie." She offered a hand out to Charlie in a similar that April had. The Doctor took it in his and shook, a strange process in Charlie's opinion. 

"This is Charlie. And the Doctor." April stepped next to her mum. 

"Hi." Jackie smiled at Charlie brightly. He hoped it was a typical human tradition, it was quite a nice gesture. "I hope you're okay with staying with us." 

"It's going to be cool. Having an actual alien here. I've never met one before. Mum says I'm too young." April was half-rambling now. At least she wasn't looking at Charlie like he was a freak, which he had been fearing. 

"You're only eighteen." April sighed at her Mothers tone. "And you can't tell Tanya either, remember." 

"Yes Mum." April pulled a strange face at Charlie. Humans were so expressive, it was intriguing. Back at home knowledge was power and Charlie had been taught to conceal how he felt in case it was used against. But he was no longer at home and April seemed nice, so Charlie tried to curve his mouth to mirror Aprils smile from earlier. 

"Well this is where I leave you." The Doctor said. Charlie felt anxious already, any attempt of a smile dropped from his face. Being left on a planet of aliens seemed dangerous. 

"Leave me?" Charlie's voice was panicked. "But I thought my Mother asked you to help me. I - I." 

"I've got my best people on it. Clara works at the school you'll be moving to - well academy now it's gone all fancy. UNIT will keep an eye on you." 

"You can't just leave me here. How will I be able to talk to my parents?" 

The Doctor seemed to hesitate before he answered. "I'll give you my phone number. And I'll be back as soon I have the technology which will connect you to Rhodia." 

So much for a good guardian. 

"So you are leaving me?" Charlie shook his head. "I'm surrounded by aliens and forced to move away with no warning and now the man who is suppose to help me is leaving." 

"Charlie, you're not going to be alone." April said from beside him. "We have information and the Doctor will return." She looked at the man coldly. "Won't you?" 

"I'll be checking up on him." The Doctor answered. 

Charlie let out a shaky breath. His heart was racing again in the same way as it had in the bunker. But it was the same situation. Trapped and lonely in a place that was supposed to help him. 

"Listen." The Doctor said. There was something in his tone which was calming. "Earth is a safe place. I've been protecting it for centuries. No harm will come to you." 

"They said that on Rhodia too. That nothing would harm me. I didn't believe it there either." 

"I cross my hearts you are safe here." 

It wasn't enough. A promise was never enough but Charlie felt to tired to argue with him. 

All he wanted was for things to be normal for once. And yet, everything had always been too intense. Speeches and the promises he had been making to his people since he could talk wouldn't do much here. 

Now he had to trust the Doctor this was best for him. 

And Charlie had never wished for anything else more in his life. 


	3. Adjusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Charlie become friends over tea.

"Charlie?" April gently pulled on his sleeve, pulling the attention of the prince away from the window where the Doctor was long gone. "Are you okay?" 

"Not really." Two words didn't seem to explain the disaster of the day. He'd woken up a prince and ended up completely alone on a new planet with complete strangers. 

"It'll be hard to adjust at first but we will do everything we can to help you feel at home." Jackie smiled softly at Charlie. 

"I'd like to be alone. If I can." 

April nodded, dark hair falling forward to cover her concerned expression. "You have a room upstairs. I could take you if you want." 

Charlie nodded. "I would like that." 

April shared a look with her mother before picking up one of his bags. It was one the Doctor had given him full of Earth clothes. Charlie carried the other, holding his collection of Rhodian books close. They were all he had left of his culture now the Doctor had abandoned him. 

Charlie sat at the end of the bed. It sunk under his weight. April gone back downstairs to her Mother. At least it left him alone with his thoughts. A moment was peace would be nice among the chaotic day. 

There was a half open window which Charlie pushed open the whole way. It gave him some breathing room at least. Breathing in earth air left a slightly off taste in his mouth. The whole experience felt slightly off. 

Not for the first time, a knock pulled Charlie alway from his thoughts. 

It was April, who was holding two mugs. "You looked a bit upset earlier. Mum said you were properly just overwhelmed but I thought I'd make you a drink." 

"Thank you." April put the mug on the windowsill next to him. 

Charlie tried smiling at her again. 

"Overwhelmed sums it up." Charlie took a careful sip of the drink April had given him. It was sweet and warm. Hopefully most of earths food would be equally nice. 

April hovered in the middle of the room, clearly unsure on whether or not to stay. "I can go. If that's what's you want." 

Charlie shook his head. He didn't trust his own head. "No. Stay." 

April carefully picked up the backpack the Doctor had brought from a chair and put it on the floor. 

"So I'm guessing you didn't actually come from Sheffield?" 

"I come from Rhodia. It is more beautiful than you could ever imagine. My people are cultured and academic." 

"Hang on-" April interrupted. "Your people?" 

"I am their prince." April opened her mouth in surprise. 

"Wow. Alien prince. Pretty cool." April said. She looked impressed. "Sorry." 

"Please don't treat me differently." That's all people had ever done. 

"I won't." April said reassuringly. 

"We are at war. Against the Quill terrorists. It's been ongoing for several months now - although our months are longer then your earth ones." Charlie explained. "I was sent away because they were plotting to kill me." 

"That's horrible." April picked at her nails. "So they sent you to Earth?" 

"They sent me away." Charlie could feel his anxiety pulsing again. "Simple as that." 

"That's kind of," April seemed to be lost fur words, "harsh?" 

Charlie agreed but only in the privacy of his own head. It was the only place he ever allowed himself to complain. 

"Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be prejudice." April said quickly. "But just sending you away like that. It seems unfair." 

"It's politics." 

April didn't seem to know what to say. Instead she sipped her mug of- well Charlie didn't exactly know. 

"It's for the best really. Now I get to explore a new world and culture. And you are nice. Not a lot of people act like that to me. But I think you're kind because you are a kind person." 

"Kind isn't really valued that much here." April frowned. "Sorry still mad about prom." 

"What is prom?" The TARDIS (the Doctors ship) had done something to his head which meant Charlie understood English. But the word was still foreign to him. 

"It's a dance we had school. I organised the whole thing by myself and-" April shook her head. "Sorry kind of went on about first world problems there." April felt a bit bad. Charlie had been forced to move to a whole new planet while April ranted because Ram and Tanya had left her to decorate by herself. They weren't bad people or anything. Tanya wasn't allowed and Ram was busy. And he had brought her flowers afterwards. 

"It's okay." 

April stood up. "Well I should leave you to unpack. And after everything you've said, I get why you wanted to be alone in the first place." 

"April?" The girl turned around. "Maybe you could stay a little longer? And maybe explain how school works here?" 

"Of course." April beamed at him. Charlie couldn't help liking April and it would be nice to have another friend.


	4. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Charlie finally become friends.

Adjusting to life with an alien wasn't at all like how April had imagined. Charlie didn't have any weird eating habits or speak another language (the Doctor had fixed that apparently). Charlie didn't look like an alien either. April wondered if he was just hiding what he actually looked like but it seemed rude to ask. 

Charlie mostly just acted like a shy teenager. He didn't talk much to them apart from to ask the occasional question. April wanted to reach out to him. She knew what it was like to feel isolated. April would have already if she knew what to say. But it was hard to comfort someone pining for another planet.

April was going to try at least. The worst part of her Dad's car crash was that everyone started avoiding. They could see she was hurting and just left her to it. 

April didn't bother knocking, she just pushed the half open door. Charlie would probably be reading anyway. He seemed fascinated by the books they had and April was more than willing to lend him some. Charlie was nice and she wanted to be his friend. (It would be nicer to have more than two friends. And Ram wasn't even her friend.) 

As April suspected, Charlie was reading, sitting up perfectly straight on his chair. (He could make anything look like a throne.) It wasn't a book in a language that April recognised. Charlie must have brought it from Rhodia. 

"Hi." He looked up from his book and gave her a small smile. Charlie usually tried to smile at her. Maybe he was just trying to be more human. It hadn't seemed very natural at first - which made April worry about the kind of life he used to have - but he was getting better. It looked almost natural now. 

"Hi?" It sounded more like a question than a greeting. "Shouldn't you be at school?" 

"It's Saturday." April replied. Charlie looked as confused as ever. It was weird to think but he probably didn't understand how time worked here. "I don't have school on Saturdays or Sundays. The rest of the week I do." 

"Like a schedule?" Charlie asked. 

"Yeah I guess." April said. "You're supposed to be coming too." 

"Really?" Charlie smiled again, although it didn't look as forced now. 

"You like school?" April didn't think it was possible to be excited for school. It was a mix of stress and course work and mean teachers and even meaner students.

"I like learning. I had a tutor on Rhodia." Charlie looked sad at the mention of his old home. "She died in the war." 

"That's horrible." April patter his shoulder, unsure on how to comfort the grieving prince. "I'm sorry." 

"So am I." Charlie looked like he was going to get lost on his thoughts again so April hurried the conversation along. 

"We're going out now. Mum has a hospital appointment and it's in town." Charlie still looked confused, so April added more to explain. "Did you want to come? You need school stuff." 

"I do?" 

April nodded. "Yeah. Unless you think it's too soon." 

"For school?" Charlie asked. "Or town?" 

April smiled fondly at him. It was hard not to like Charlie. Not that she had a crush on him, although he was sort of cute and clueless in an adorkable way. April had a boyfriend. (A good boyfriend too, although Ram could be an idiot sometimes.) All she wanted was to be Charlie's friend. 

"School." April answered. 

"It'd like that." Charlie said, looking far too excited at the idea. "It'd be nice to have a distraction and that's why I was excited for Earth. To learn about a new culture." 

"Just like a tourist." April replied. Charlie didn't seem to get the joke but laughed anyway. It was probably the happiest April had seen him since he moved in.

~~~

One advantage of living in London was the range of shops. There was five different ones April knew for just notebooks. Charlie had picked out one decorated with a hipster galaxy pattern. He'd also picked out a paint set and some pencils. Apparently Charlie was an artist. 

It was nice for April to buy things without the need to worry about money. UNIT had set them up with a credit card for Charlie's stuff when they agreed to take him in. It was one of the main reasons that they had agreed, so they could save up for April to go to a good university after sixth form. April wanted to be a teacher when she was older. 

After leaving the art shop they had gotten coffee. Charlie seemed a little lost at first but settled in after April had brought them both a drink. Apparently even aliens liked Costa. 

It was like being with her other friends in a weird way. April and Tanya usually got coffee during free period where Tanya would explain physics or the latest Sherlock plot to her. Expect this time April was explaining Earth to Charlie. 

Ram didn't like Costa much, he preferred 'normal' coffee. He still went with her and insisted on paying. They'd hold hands over the table and joke together. Being with Ram wasn't like being with anyone else. He made April feel special. (And like a cliché apparently.) They'd gotten together at the end of year twelve when she'd got all A's and Ram had given her a bunch of roses. 

Thinking about Ram made April feel guilty, she'd hardly spend time with him recently. (In her defence there was an alien living with her.) 

Trying to push thoughts of Ram out of head, April focused on her conversation with Charlie. (She'd Skype Ram later. Or buy him roses. Gender roles could suck it.) 

"We should go clothes shopping next. You'll need more for school." 

"Okay." Charlie smiled at her briefly before looking puzzled. "Why?" 

"Why?" Now April felt like the confused one. 

"Don't you wear uniforms in school? Or is pop culture wrong?" 

"In sixth form we can wear our own clothes." April mostly wore jeans. But it was so much more freeing then her school uniform. She had to learn how to tie ties though YouTube. 

"In any colours?" Charlie asked. He looked excited. 

"Yeah." April laughed. "You really like the colours here?" 

"You have different ones." Charlie said. "It's all so pretty. It's why I want to paint Earth. My home was shades of blue and lilac. It was pretty but here there are so many colours." Charlie paused a moment. "Am I being weird?" 

"No." April reassured him. "It's okay. I'm not going to stop being your friend." 

"We're friends?" Charlie asked. 

"Of course we are." April replied. Charlie was weird in a good way, just like everyone else she was friends with. 

"I'm glad." Charlie smiled at full power. It changed his face entirely. He looked for the first time, like he was actually happy to be on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, we get to meet Matteusz soon. Aka the sweetest punk in the history of Pastel Punk AUs. ❤


	5. Sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie falls in love with pastel colours and flower crowns.

Earth culture was different to how Charlie had imagined it. It seemed to have so many unwritten social rules to follow. When Charlie had picked up a fluffy jumper the same delicate pink shade as the roses which he admired so much, April had explained that certain colours were for girls. It seemed both ridiculous and unnecessary confusing for colours to belong to girls or boys. Charlie had liked a jumper that was pink and that wasn't allowed? It was stupid. Charlie didn't want to judge Earth but he had really liked that jumper. It reminded him of the flowers he had first saw when he left the TARDIS. And it looked like the sky on Rhodia in summer. 

April hadn't stopped him from picking out and buying any of the pastel coloured jumpers though. She agreed it didn't make sense how gender specific clothing was. Charlie wasn't upset with her. April was only trying to help him fit in. It was a nice act really. 

The jumpers (along with some more jeans and shirts similar to the ones he already had) Charlie had brought were all in the pastel shades April had warned might cause other students to bully him. Humans were surprisingly behind in terms of equality, Charlie had learnt. Certain skin colours led to hate and boys who wore pink got bullied. It must be a cultural thing. At home that wouldn't have happened. At home Charlie could wear lilac robes and pink crowns. 

The jumpers were a mix of a soft blue, along with a jumper patterned like the sky (on Earth), a lilac one that looked like crystals and a dark one patterned with little stars. Charlie liked the stars and galaxies but they were completely different on Earth. He had loved astronomy on Rhodia but he'd have to learn a whole new set of stars on Earth. Maybe it would be interesting. Charlie had loved his astronomy lessons on Rhodia. 

April was busy Skyping her boyfriend (Charlie hoped boyfriends weren't another female only thing too; although he found both kinds of Earth's people equally attractive). Charlie didn't want to interrupt her when April sounded so happy, so he used his phone to open Google. While the search engine was quite behind the kind of technology he had access to at home, it made understanding the way Earth worked easier. 

Charlie typed in 'Pastel boys' and waited as the results loaded. Lots of the websites linked him to Tumblr and included lots of drawing of various boys wearing flowers in their hair and pink jumpers. Charlie saved one of the better drawings, looking at the flowers enviously. He wished April had mentioned that he could wear flowers in his hair. It looked very pretty, with pink roses woven into the boys hair. It was the kind of thing Charlie would want to wear here. 

Another google search taught Charlie that they were real things. And that they were called flower crowns, which was almost an invitation for Charlie to buy one. He could - April had given him the credit card in case there was anything that Charlie wanted to buy for school. He sent her a text first, asking her permission before he could brought anything. (It was best to be sure and polite.) April replied with a little yellow dot that was smiling, which Charlie assumed was permission to go ahead and buy one. He chose a purple flower crown because it resembled the crown he had on Rhodia most. Charlie also brought a pink rose flower crown. If he couldn't wear a pink jumper it seemed unlikely having pink flowers in his hair would be socially allowed either. But Charlie didn't care. It had been so long since he got to do something just because he wanted to without any political or safety reasons behind it. Earth could be wear Charlie could express himself without pre-written speeches or worrying about how a good prince would act. 

Maybe that was at the cost of his popularity but Charlie had been at war. If he could survive the Quill, he could survive any strange looks. For once, he was going to live for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was slightly inspired by @TheDoctorIsIcecube who wrote a really good fic about Charlie hating gender roles. 
> 
> I need him in a flower crown for many important reasons. E.G. I love Charlie and I love flower crowns. 
> 
> Also we get to meet Matteusz in the next chapter. ❤❤❤


	6. Library boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie adjusts to school and meets a boy that makes earth seem more appealing.

The first day of school had been interesting at least. Charlie hadn't expected it to be so hard. It wasn't the lessons that were the problem, Earth was a little (which was the polite way of putting it) behind Rhodia with math and science and years of private tutoring had allowed Charlie to find most of the lessons quite easy.

It had been everything else that was hard. Charlie knew that fitting in was never going to be easy. He was the alien on Earth. He didn't understand most of the references the other students made. If it wasn't for Google, Charlie would be permanently confused. Humans were weird. And confusing. And mean.

If he didn't have April to help him, Charlie was sure he wouldn't understand anything. April was in every one of his lessons. Charlie wasn't sure how she had managed that - whether it was luck or if she had meddled - but he was glad. Without April, he'd be lost. (Quite literally, Coal Hill was massive.)

April's friends were a little wary of him. (That was putting it nicely.) Ram, her boyfriend, kept calling him 'posh', whatever that meant. Tanya seemed nicer but Charlie found her much harder to talk to. She was so clever in all aspects of human life. She could talk about Physics and pop culture and conspiracy theories in one sentence. Charlie liked her. (Or at least what he understood.)

Charlie wasn't sure how to feel about the next day of school. April had promised to take him to Clara, an old friend of the Doctor. Charlie hoped she'd be a little more helpful than the Doctor had been.

"You're up early." April was leaning against the kitchen door, eyeing him. April was wearing faded grey pyjamas and had messy hair. Charlie, who had never looked so unorganised in his entire life, found her look interesting. At least she was comfortable. Charlie had been raised to look like a prince at all times, night, day and everything in between.

"Time is different here."

"That's deep." April laughed softly to herself. Charlie wasn't sure why it was funny.

"Thanks?" Charlie replied. Maybe she was just being sarcastic; it was hard to tell.

"Anytime." April said cheerfully. "How's school?"

"Weird." Charlie answered honestly. "But I'm getting used to it."

"I know it must be hard." April stepped into the kitchen and sat opposite him. "But I'm here for you."

"I know." Charlie looked down at his juice.

April looked torn but shook her head, as if she was clearing it of her thoughts. "We should get ready. I hope you don't mind walking again."

~~~

The walk to school was peaceful. Charlie liked the freedom, he would have never gotten to walk anywhere alone on Rhodia.

"What's it like?" April asked. "Your planet."

"Rhodia was beautiful. The sky was pink. I miss it a lot."

"Pink skies sound so pretty." April looked up at grey clouds and pulled up her hood.

"I could draw them for you," Charlie offered. Nature was one of the few things deemed 'appropriate' for him to draw. His mother had one of his painting hung in their courtroom, in a rare act of sentiment.

"You must really like art," April said. "You have so many art supplies."

"I wasn't allowed to do many activities for my own enjoyment. But painting was one of the few I was allowed, luckily."

April frowned, "that sounds harsh."

"A Prince must put himself first." Charlie had quoted his mother. "It is the duty of royalty."

"Sounds stressful."

Charlie shrugged. It was the least regal gesture he'd ever done and it felt like a small act of rebellion. "I don't know much difference."

"You're here now. Maybe you could let yourself have fun?" April suggested. "Draw for fun."

"I'm planning to." Charlie smiled at her as they headed into the school gates. "April, has Coal Hill got a library?"

~~~

The library was smaller than Charlie had expected. It was mostly deserted, with most of the noise coming from students walking past.

He took a cushiony seat in the very back of the library. Charlie took out his sketchbook and started to draw, forming the outline of a flower. It reminded Charlie of home and the vast gardens he was sometimes allowed to walk in.

When he was little, Charlie had hidden in the gardens to avoid making a speech. (Everyone was worried; not about him but about cancelling the council meeting.) It was a bittersweet memory of being both free and relaxed, surrounded by blue glowing flowers but panicking.

The bell rang before Charlie could finish his starflower sketch. He hurried out, hoping to find April before he got lost.

"Excuse me?"

Charlie stopped and turned to see who was talking to him. A tall and rather attractive human boy had stopped him. He was dressed in all black; a strange contrast to Charlie's pastel coloured cardigan. Despite that he had a bright smile, which is what Charlie found himself focusing on.

"You left this on the table." The attractive human (he thought the name was fitting) passed Charlie his sketch book. "It's good. Your drawing."

"Thank you," Charlie replied, looking down at his half completed artwork.

"No problem." The attractive human smiled again before hurrying off. Charlie watched him almost run off, until he was out of sight.

"Charlie!" April pulled him back into reality. "We have English."

"I don't know where that is."

"I'll take you," April promised.

"Were you taking to Matteusz?" Tanya asked, hurrying to catch up with the pair, still pulling on her bag.

"The attractive hu- guy?" Charlie asked, looking ahead. They were headed in the same direction as the student who had caught his eye but he was gone now.

"Knew it!" April rolled her eyes at Tanya's remark. "Yeah. Weird, usually he's shy."

"He returned my book."

"That's nice." April smiled at Charlie and tried to subtly hit Tanya. (Charlie pretended not to notice.)

"And out of character," she added. April hit her arm again.

"Can we not gossip?"

"What does 'gossip' mean?" Charlie asked.

"I'll tell you later," April promised, pulling him and Tanya into a classroom. "For now we have English."

April kept talking but Charlie stopped paying attention; he had spotted Matteusz again, flicking through a book in the corner. He smiled as their eyes met. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been three months! I'm so sorry. I think I started too many fanfics.


	7. Endearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matteusz is sure he doesn't like the new kid but his heart has other ideas.

Matteusz had to make an effort to not look up again. Making eye contact with the (admittly pretty) blonde the first time was awkward enough. He always tried to keep his head down in school. It was easier that way, even if it made him seem weird. (That could be blamed on the ear piercing though.)

Miss Oswald smiled at the cute new kid warmly. She was one of the nicest teachers at the school. "Nice to meet you Charlie." Not a very artsy name, Matteusz thought, although he wasn't sure what he was expecting. "There's a free seat at the back."

There was only one seat left at the back and it was next to him. Of course.

Matteusz shifted closer to the wall, even though it wasn't necessary. Charlie seemed nice but that didn't mean they would be friends.

It didn't matter that Charlie was extremely cute either. Just because he wore a pastel jumper that matched his eyes, it didn't mean that Matteusz had noticed.

"Hi." Charlie hadn't gotten the memo about them not being friends. He smiled at Matteusz and he felt it in his stomach.

"Hi Charlie," he replied quietly. He was still smiling, which Matteusz was trying to work out was good or not.

Miss Oswald saved them from any further conversation by starting the lesson. She was talking about 'Pride and Prejudice' again. Matteusz wasn't sure how his English teacher developed a crush on a writer from the seventh century but he wasn't going to judge her.

Charlie scribbled down notes quickly. He had messy handwriting that was almost impossible to read. Matteusz tried not to notice but Charlie was taking up a lot of his focus. He seemed so endearing and Matteusz had never met anyone like him.

It didn't mean he liked Charlie though, as Matteusz desperately tried to convince himself. They were opposites; one dressed like the night sky and the other dressed like the summer skies.

Besides, Charlie was far too strange for anyone to have a crush on.

* * *

Charlie waited at the end of the lesson. His new teacher seemed nice and significantly more helpful then her friend who had basically abandoned him on Earth in less than a minute. He'd have to google halve of what she had said about the book and read it.

Clara (or Miss Oswald, as she'd been called in class) shut the door behind them. "So Charlie, how are liking earth. I know the move was quite sudden."

"I've only been on Earth a week. But it's been exciting. A whole new planet to explore is an amazing opportunity." Earth was beautiful. But so was Rhodia. Charlie still didn't know if his mother was okay or how to ask her.

"Visiting new planets is fun." Clara smiled fondly. "Never thought of earth as one of those amazing planets before. But I suppose we're all aliens to someone."

Charlie nodded. "And I'm surrounded by them. But they're friendly; most of the time at least. I'm staying with April."

"So I've been told. The Doctor brought you to earth, didn't he?" Clara asked.

"He dumped me here, more accurately." Charlie still felt upset about that part. It didn't seem fair. But his life wasn't fair.

"The Doctor can get like that. It's the eyebrows. I was actually surprised to hear the news. I thought he'd drop by at least if he was in Shoreditch. We're old friends." Clara looked down at her desk. Charlie noticed a photo of her beaming next to the Doctor in a long, outdated (at least from what Charlie could tell about earth fashion) dress. There was a silver of a familiar blue shade in the corner: clearly the TARDIS. "Very old friends apparently."

"He seemed in a rush."

"How was he?" Clara asked, face softening into a look of concern. "Did he seem okay?"

Charlie thought back to the stranger who had taken him from Rhodia and blinked back tears over a rose. "He seemed lonely."

Clara sighed. "That's exactly what I was worried about. He shouldn't be alone. He was the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Travelling alone is bad for someone that old and that mad."

"Do you miss it? Travelling with him?" Charlie questioned.

"Sometimes. But it was dangerous. And I had one close call that really did come to close. So I stopped travelling. I've seen the stars and the planets and the past and future. And now I get to live a normal life." Clara sighed again. (Charlie had a feeling it wasn't just her friend who had the weight of the world on their shoulders.) "But I told him. Don't be alone. 'Run you clever boy' I told him, 'but don't run alone'."

"It's good advice."

"I'm not keeping you from anyone, am I?" Clara asked, swiftly changing the subject. "It's already ten minutes into lunch."

"I ate already today. And I like talking to you. Talking about the stars and travelling… it's nice."

Clara pulled up a seat for him. He took it. "Tell me about your home world then."

"Rhodia…" Charlie paused, trying to think of the right word to even start to describe his home world or his people, "Rhodia is beautiful." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of Clara feels. Like a LOT. Still my favourite companion. 
> 
> Feedback is the fastest way to my heart! ❤️


	8. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cela and Matteusz run into Charlie at the shops.

Matteusz sat next to Charlie Smith in english.

English was his favourite subject.

They were two very unrelated statements. It was important to remind himself that. He had written it down in his notebook before ripping it out. If Charlie thought he thought about him, he might get the wrong idea.

Charlie made it hard to not blur the lines. He was nice and perhaps a little naive at times. And he was always smiling.

Matteusz added a reminder to not think about Charlie smiling to his crumpled piece of paper. However, it seemed a little useless because at that moment Charlie decided to smile at him.

It was getting harder to not smile back. (He had managed not to. He'd written it on his palm: _'days without smiling at Charlie Smith: 12'_.)

"You changed your hair."

"Yeah." He had been hoping no one would notice. He had been going for black (might as well match) but had ended up with a few blue streaks.

"I like it," Charlie said. "Blue is my favourite colour."

"Me too," Matteusz replied. It had been lately at least. (Not that it had anything to do with Charlie at all. Absolutely nothing.)

"It represents peace, trust, loyalty and understanding."

"What does?"

"The colour blue." Charlie smiled again. It was like he was trying to break Matteusz' cool and collected image.

"You looked it up?"

Charlie nodded. "I like to draw." Matteusz had noticed, he was always drawing flowers in the corner of his work. It was quite pretty. He must have an obsession with flowers, he was always doodling them. He even had one on the jumper he wore.

"You're good."

"Thank you," Charlie replied. He opened up his note book and picked up a pen. "Any requests?"

"You're funny."

"I am?" He seemed confused. It was adorable.

Matteusz caught his reflection in the window.

_Days without smiling at Charlie Smith: zero._

* * *

Little kids didn't care if you had blue streaks in your hair or wore Doc Martin boots. (It worked on seventeen year olds.)

"You're late."

"I'm sorry Cela."

"The teachers kept asking if I wanted to sit inside. Late." His sister had really mastered the same grumpy look as his mother. Not that he would tell Marcelina that.

"I got held back at my school." Miss Oswald wanted another talk with him. She was his favourite teacher and made sure to check up on him. She made school more bearable.

"I thought you wouldn't come. That you would forget about me."

"I could never forget about my favourite sister Cela."

She grinned up at him. Marcelina was the smallest girl in her class. She liked to insist she was going to be as tall as him one day. "I'm your only sister Matti."

"Then you must be my favourite. Do your maths Cela." She giggled. "Should we go to shops on the way back. Just don't tell Mummy."

"Ok, you are forgiven."

He let Macelina run ahead. She clung to her backpack straps as she ran. She was his favourite family member and one of the few that he could actually confide in. Marcelina was a bundle of happiness and energy the way most eight year olds were.

She picked a flower and gave him it. "Present."

"Thank you Cela." Matteusz didn't have any free pockets so he tucked it behind his ear. (The one with four piercings in it.)

The shop was halfway between Marcelina's primary school and their house. When they had first moved, before they had a car, they would walk it and carry all the shopping themselves. (Apart from Marcelina who had only been six and still carried her toys in a bag anywhere she went. She wanted to be prepared in case of another move.)

Marcelina headed straight to the sweet isle. (Typical.) Matteusz went to go grab some bread and fruit for her lunch (sometimes their parents didn't have time, since their mother was a nurse and needed to be driven home from work by their father).

When he caught up with Marcelina she was talking to someone familiar.

"Marcelina Anka Andrzejewski! What did I tell you about talking to people you don't know." He said firmly. Even if he knew Charlie, she didn't.

"I was giving him directions," she muttered. "Sorry."

"You have to be careful."

"I know Matti. But I don't think he's dangerous. He's wearing flowers in his hair." She was right. It actually made Charlie look slightly cute. He must have been carrying it around all day.

"Hi Matteusz." Charlie smiled. (That stupid smile. He had almost put it out of his mind.)

"Hi Charlie."

Marcelina looked between and raised an eyebrow. "You're friends."

"Not really," Matteusz said, at the same time Charlie said, "hopefully".

"I'm Cela," she introduced. "I'm Matti's sister, I've never met his friends before."

"Hi Cela. That's a nice name."

"Thank you. I like your jumper."

"We should be going now Cela," Matteusz interrupted, pulling on her hand.

"Right." She picked up a Twix bar and waved it at Charlie. "Goodbye Matti's friend."

It was only after they were back home Matteusz realised he had the flower behind his ear the whole time. He blushed at the thought as he twirled the flower between his fingers.

"You have a crush on him."

"No, I don't."

Marcelina put her pen down to grab his hand. She turned it palm upwards and giggled like he was telling a joke. "Then why did you write on your hand you smiled at Charlie today?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For @CloOm who wanted Cela and Charlie to meet. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought!


End file.
